distressing

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Have a birch ply ent center to finish in distressed black. If I want a finished result of wear on this unit do I have to stain the raw panel first then seal it twice before shooting the matte black and then rubbing thru to the original veneer or can I skip the stain, seal it then shoot the black and then a sand thru to the raw veneer followed by a precat lacquer

Lots of ways to accomplish the distressed look. Grab a bunch of sample pieces of Birch and start experimenting. Show them to the customer and see which one they like the best and then finish the project the same way you finished the color sample.

So you've never done this before I take it? There's a ton of ways to do this. Youtube is full of videos. For this type I distress and ease before putting on the black. Then I sand thru the black to expose the raw wood on corners etc...depends on what type of look you going for. Then I'll stain. The stain won't have much effect if any on the black. Seal it sand and then a topcoat or two depending on where it's going.

I'm not Bart but maybe I can answer a question for you. Ease...as in sand a little of the Black off to reveal the wood. This is usually done on an edge but can really be done anywhere on the project. Ease... as in lightly rub the surface with a rag dipped in Lacquer Thinner to reveal the wood.
Those are just a few ways to distress an item.

If you search around Google or in the project section here on Woodweb you will find pictures of furniture that has been distressed. The key is to not overdo it and apply the distressing in areas that would normally get wear. Around door/drawer handles..the edges of doors/ drawers..etc

Thanks guys big help as usual. Thing is I have birch veneer plywood for the box, poplar and maple mouldings here and there etc etc. This is why I was thinking of starting the process with A Mohawk toner (raw umber) then lock it in with two coats of tinted black vinyl sealer and then a final lacquer. This will keep me with the same color rather than shades. No. The toner should start everything off the same?

Ok. So the type of "look" you want is important. Typically it's light medium or heavy. Distress the piece to which level you want then ease the edges to that degree. If you don't ease the edges first then you'll have unnatural looking sand throughs everywhere. Then seal it with the black. Don't put your stain on first. You can easily sand threw the black "and " the stain to raw wood. I've done this type of cab multiple times it's not hard. I would recommend a trip to an antique store to get an idea how/where to sand through(it shouldn't be uniform) the color for natural look not a "faux" look. I use GF's black poly first coat then sand back (depending on the look. I leave the distressing raw ie..scraper marks, file, keys etc and sand off the burrs/splinters with 220/180 after it's sealed in black) Then I stain it. A darker stain will even out your different wood species. You could even add some to lighter areas if needed. Because it's black the stain won't have or very minor effect on black (stain the whole piece).
As for the ply cab there's not much you can do distress wise. Keys or file marks but you're limited because of the veneer.
Good luck. When I do this type of thing less is always more.

Ease the edges just as you would for any finish before staining/sealing. If you want a more rustic look then ease it heavier. Trust me you'll be able to see where you've done heavier easing. The black finish over raw wood will highlight anything you do to the raw piece. Do a test piece or two before you start on you customers piece.

Chich-FWIW here's what I do on this type of finish, particularly when it's black with colored rub-thru underneath: first ease edges, making it irregular and sanded off more in appropriate wear areas. Also do any distressing, worm holes, scrapes, etc. Next, stain the raw wood to your desired color. You don't have to stain the entire piece; just mainly on borders, wear areas, edges, etc, where you anticipate doing your rub thru. Now spray a coat of black vinyl sealer. When almost dry, use a rag dampened with appropriate solvent, and lightly begin to remove the vinyl sealer. As it is soft, the sealer will RUB off, exposing the stain color. Here is where your eye comes in. When you're satisfied with the look, topcoat.
This is a very subjective process and you should try to make it look like actual wear/damage so the advice to look at some actual antiques will help.

There's another off-the-wall method I used recently. Decide where you want the blemishes and before topcoat apply a small amount of white glue before shooting coat you want to "break". This is a technique some hobbyists use for a "crackle" finish. Where the crackle breaks the finish just sand it off. The effect looks a little more natural if scraped then sanded. It's a goofy technique that works pretty well if you have a customer the insists on a distressed finish.

well tried out a sample doorin this matter: one coat vinyl sealer semi heavy. Glazed (raw sienna) a sample door . Maple styles and rails 1/4 inch mdf panel poplar applied moulding. Black lacquer to lock in Glaze. Waited for it to dry 3-4 hrs and sanded thru.I have three different colors. Isnt that what the sealer was supposed to prevent?

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